Process for packing and creating a handle

ABSTRACT

A process for packing flexible articles in a flexible bag ( 10 ) wherein said flexible bag ( 10 ) is sealed at its top panel ( 11 ) after introduction of said flexible articles leaving attached at least one flap ( 12 ) protruding from said top panel ( 11 ) of said flexible bag ( 10 ), said flap ( 12 ) comprises a grip area ( 14 ) and a grip area perimeter ( 15 ), characterized in that said flexible bag ( 10 ) is pre-made before said introduction of said flexible articles through an area corresponding to said top panel ( 11 ), a handle element ( 13 ) is shaped from said flap ( 12 ), said handle element ( 13 ) comprising a handle element perimeter ( 16 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a process for packing absorbent articlesin a pre-made flexible bag and subsequently creating a handle elementon-line.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] Flexible bags are widely used to pack many different types ofconsumer products. For instance, disposable diapers are typically packedin plastic bags. The resultant bags are generally cumbersome anddifficult to carry. In order to facilitate consumer handling, handleelements are disposed on the outer surface of the flexible bags. It hasbeen customary to provide separate handle elements of cardboard, mouldedplastic or other suitable materials that are glued, stapled or heatwelded to the bag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,269 teaches a bag of polymericplastic material that has an opening at one end and a gusset at theopposite end. Within the gusset, a handle is welded to the front andrear panels of the bag along a fold line. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,705,the handle strip is inserted in the gusset during production of the bagand the ends of the handle strip are sealed to the adjacent wall panelsof the bag by a heat seal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,619 refers to an easyopen flexible bag containing one or more stacks of flexible articlesthat comprises a longitudinally oriented carrying handle, which isformed independently of the bag. These handle elements are not entirelysatisfactory for all purposes and are often impractical in terms ofmaterial utilisation, wastage of raw materials, complexity of processsteps, stacking and packaging, and effectiveness in that the handleelement can tear away from the carrier bag and expose the contents.

[0003] Nevertheless, some bags have been specifically designed withintegral handle elements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,173 describes a plasticbag having a side panel with a carry grip area in which a carry stripportion is located. The carry strip portion is formed between carry gripapertures or easily breakable weakening lines. The carry strip iscoplanar with the side panel of the plastic bag and does not requireseals of any kind. Protective and reinforcement strips are providedunderneath the carry grip apertures in order to protect the contents ofthe plastic bag from external contamination. GB 1 575 921 teaches a bagprovided with a carrier handle means where the handle is not located inloose flap members protruding from a sealed top panel, but in a flapparticipating in the wrapping of the articles. The products are firstpackaged in the bag, the flap portion is then folded over the top sideof the products and thereafter the other flap portion is folded downalong the vertical side of the bag and adhesively attached to this side.U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,693 provides a bag that includes a side-to-sidecontinuous handle, which is formed from pieces of material that make upthe sidewalls of the bag and a closed top formed from a separate pieceof material. DE 2 051 833 describes a means of producing a package forhygienic articles comprising two strips of plastic, one wider than theother. The preferred production method consists of first forming a tubearound the articles to be packed, then welding transversely to separatethe tubes or packages while at the same time cutting the packagessuccessively from one another. The resultant package may contain ahandle and a tear-off opening. The handle lies between the welding seamused to seal the package shut and an additional seam, which is presentfor stability purposes.

[0004] The above prior art, however, does not teach a process forpacking absorbent articles in a pre-made flexible bag by introducing theabsorbent articles through an area corresponding to the top panel of thebag and by subsequently creating a handle element on-line from theexcess trim material protruding from the top panel. Excess trim materialis usually included in a bag design to account for variations in theheight of the products to be packed and to allow for sealing variations.The exploitation of this excess trim material according to the presentinvention leads to such benefits as excellent material utilisation and areduction in raw material wastage. The advantage of the pre-made baglies in the flexibility that it offers to both suppliers, packagers andmanufacturers. There is no tying effect and therefore no need exists forthe combination of an on-line packaging and bag manufacturing step asdescribed in the prior art document DE 2 051 833. The complexity of themanufacturing phase is thus greatly reduced. Furthermore, with the aidof suitable reinforcements and effective sealing techniques, a stronghandle element mounting can be formed which results in improved consumerconfidence.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a process forpacking absorbent articles in a pre-made flexible bag by introducing theabsorbent articles through an area corresponding to the top panel of thebag and by subsequently creating a handle element on-line from theexcess trim material protruding from the top panel. A further object ofthe present invention is to provide a strong handle element mountingusing suitable reinforcements and effective sealing techniques.

[0006] In accordance with the objects of the invention, a pre-madeflexible bag for flexible articles is provided. Flexible articles areintroduced into the flexible bag through an area corresponding to thetop panel, which is subsequently sealed at its top panel. At least oneflap protruding from the top panel is left attached. The flap comprisesa grip area and a grip area perimeter. The flexible bag is pre-madebefore the introduction of the flexible articles and a handle element isshaped from the flap protruding from the top panel, the handle elementcomprising a handle element perimeter. The preferred embodimentcomprises two flaps. The handle element comprises a seal running alongthe handle element perimeter. In order to allow fingers or hands to wraparound the handle, a grip area is formed. The reinforced handle elementcan comprise flaps that are sealed together in the entire area of thehandle element except for the grip area or the flaps are furtherreinforced at the handle element perimeter or the flaps comprise a sealsurrounding the grip area perimeter or the flaps comprise a sealabutting the entire grip area perimeter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] While the specification concludes with claims particularlypointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed thatthe invention will be better understood from the foregoing descriptionin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a front view of a pre-made flexible bag comprising ahandle element made on-line.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a front view of the various design configurationsexisting for the handle element of the pre-made flexible bag.

[0010]FIG. 3 shows six different embodiments of sealing designconfigurations that are suitable for the handle element of the pre-madeflexible bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] As used herein, the term “pre-made” refers to a bag in which thefront, back, top, bottom and side panels are all interconnected. As usedherein, the term “grip area” describes the area designed for grippingthat is either cut, punched or scored out. As used herein, the term“grip area perimeter” represents the edge of the grip area. As usedherein, the term “handle element perimeter” represents the edge of thehandle element.

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a pre-made flexible bag 10 comprising flexiblearticles. The flexible articles may comprise disposable absorbentdiapers, sanitary articles, incontinence pads or briefs, bandages andthe like. The flexible articles are typically compressed to between 20and 70 percent of their uncompressed volume and may be oriented eitherwith all their waist features directed upwards towards the top panel 11of the flexible bag 10 or with all their waist features directeddownwards towards the bottom panel of the flexible bag 10 or theflexible articles may be alternated. The flexible bag 10 is preferablymade from conventional flexible polymer such as polyethylene or orientedpolypropylene and the film caliper ranges from 30 to 120 micrometers.The flexible bag 10 comprises a top panel 11, a bottom panel, a frontpanel, a back panel and a pair of side panels, which are allinterconnected according to means known in the art.

[0013] Typically, the pre-made flexible bag 10 to be used for containingthe flexible articles is supplied either on wickets or on rolls, wicketsbeing preferred. The flexible bag 10 is sealed at its top panel 11 afterintroduction of the flexible articles, leaving attached at least oneflap 12, which protrudes from the top panel 11 of the flexible bag 10.The preferred embodiment comprises two flaps 12. These flaps 12represent excess trim material. A handle element 13 is then shaped fromthe flaps 12, and comprises a handle element perimeter 16. The handleelement 13 can combine both curved and straight portions as is depictedin FIG. 2. Furthermore, the base of the handle element 13 can lie alonga portion of the top panel 11 as is visible in embodiments (1), (2) and(4) of FIG. 2 or the base of the handle element 13 can run along theentire length of the top panel 11 as is visible in embodiment (3) ofFIG. 2. The formation of the handle element 13 is preferentially carriedout during or shortly after the top panel 11 has been sealed. The keyfeatures of the handle element 13 are the grip area 14, the grip areaperimeter 15 and the handle element perimeter 16. The grip area 14 canbe formed on-line by either cutting, punching or scoring out the desiredshape, which is suitable for gripping by the end user, namely theconsumer. Alternatively, grip holes can be cut, punched or scored out ofthe flaps 12. Several grip holes, preferably three or four, may bepresent and they can also be pre-made at the bag suppliers. The griparea perimeter 15 and the handle element perimeter 16 follow thecontours of the selected shapes for the grip area 14 and the handleelement 13, respectively.

[0014] Various sealing embodiments exist in order to reinforce thehandle element 13 and support the weight of the flexible bag 10. With afilm caliper ranging from 50 to 70 micrometers, the handle element 13 iscapable of sustaining bag loads ranging from 2.5 to 4 kilograms withoutcausing deformation or failure when being carried by the end user,namely the consumer. It is preferred that the base of the handle element13 run along the entire length of the top panel 11 (for example, referto embodiment (3) in FIG. 2) such that the handle element 13 can bettersupport the bag load and lead to improved stability.

[0015]FIG. 3 shows six different embodiments of sealing designconfigurations that are suitable for the handle element 13. For each ofthe embodiments described below, the base of the handle element 13comprises a seal 17, which is either the complete seal 17 or a portionof the seal 17 arising from the closure of the top panel 11 of theflexible bag 10. In the first embodiment, a seal 17 runs along thehandle element perimeter 16. In the second embodiment, the flaps 12 aresealed together in the entire area of the handle element 13 except forthe grip area 14. In the third embodiment, the flaps 12 are furtherreinforced a the handle element perimeter 16. In fact, the thirdembodiment comprises the first embodiment and further comprises seals 17that are located in the corners lying closest to the seal 17 of the baseof the handle element 13 and the seal 17 running along the side of thehandle element perimeter 16. It is feasible to place approximately oneto three seals 17 per corner, the form of the seals 17 being eitherstraight or curved. The fourth embodiment comprises the first embodimentplus a seal 17 surrounding the grip area perimeter 15. The seal 17 ispreferably located a distance ranging from 5 to 25 millimeters from thegrip area perimeter 15 and typically the seal 17 follows the contours ofthe shape selected for the grip area 14. The fifth embodiment similarlycomprises the first embodiment plus a seal 17 abutting the entire griparea perimeter 15. The sixth embodiment, similar to the thirdembodiment, further comprises reinforcements at the handle elementperimeter 16. More specifically, the sixth embodiment comprises both thefirst and fifth embodiments plus diagonal seals 17 that extend from alocation on the seal 17 running along the outermost part of the handleelement perimeter 16 to a location on the seal 17 of the base of thehandle element 13. The seals 17 in all cases preferably range from threeto four millimeters in width although any width is possible.

[0016] The sealing can be performed using conventional heat sealingtechniques or alternatively, techniques such as ultrasound, crimping orpressure bonding can be employed. Heat sealing techniques tend to weakenthe flaps 12 in the immediate vicinity of the sealed area due to theconcentration of heat along the seal 17. In contrast, the othertechniques rely less on heat and more on pressure and thus do not weakenadversely the flaps 12. It is also possible to vary the sealing pattern.Rather than having a single line comprising the sealing pattern, whichis typical of the current heat sealing techniques, a pattern withalternating bonded zones and unbonded zones can be formed. The sealingpattern can comprise crosses, dashed lines, v-shapes, u-shapes, invertedshapes, to cite but a few of the many possibilities existing. The effectof the pattern results in an improved distribution of heat over a widerarea and consequently, a stronger supporting film around the seals 17.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for packing flexible articles in aflexible bag (10) wherein said flexible bag (10) is sealed at its toppanel (11) after introduction of said flexible articles leaving attachedat least one flap (12) protruding from said top panel (11) of saidflexible bag (10), said flap (12) comprises a grip area (14) and a griparea perimeter (15), characterised in that said flexible bag (10) ispre-made before said introduction of said flexible articles through anarea corresponding to said top panel (11), a handle element (13) isshaped from said flap (12), said handle element (13) comprising a handleelement perimeter (16).
 2. A process according to claim 1 wherein saidflexible bag (10) comprises two of said flaps (12).
 3. A processaccording to any of the preceding claims wherein said handle element(13) comprises a seal (17) running along said handle element perimeter(16).
 4. A process according to any of the preceding claims wherein saidflaps (12) are further sealed together in the entire area of said handleelement (13), except for said grip area (14).
 5. A process according toclaims 1, 2 and 3 wherein said flaps (12) are further reinforced at saidhandle element perimeter (16).
 6. A process according to claims 1, 2 and3 wherein said flaps (12) comprise a seal (17) surrounding said griparea perimeter (15).
 7. A process according to claims 1, 2 and 3 whereinsaid flaps (12) comprise a seal (17) abutting entire said grip areaperimeter (15).